A hero Edinburgh couple are set to graduate together for the second time this week after balancing a degree with frontline work during the pandemic.
Husband and wife, Samba and Awa Manneh-Bah, will be side by side as they receive their masters from Edinburgh Napier University on the same day.
Originally from Gambia, the couple had been working as NHS nurses during pandemic, with both Samba and Awa balancing intense shifts with caring for their three children.
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Heading out as key workers when most others were able to stay at home, Awa, 41, had been working as a temporary staff nurse at the Western General, while Samba, 44 headed to the learning disability inpatient unit at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.
Doing some incredible work across the community, the couple also decided to take on masters degrees in Healthcare Management, which they will graduate from on Wednesday (July 6.)
However, it is not the first time the pair will walk over the stage together, as they were able to do the same for their original nursing degrees at Napier back in 2014.
Moving to Edinburgh from England in 2009, the pair said they're new qualifications didn’t come without their struggles, the course began during the pandemic and they juggled their full time careers with studying alongside caring for their three children.
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Despite this they remained positive and said: "We enjoyed every bit of it and glad we did it, our goal is to be a positive role model to our kids."
The couple will join hundreds of other Edinburgh Napier students this week as they are presented with their degrees at a series of ceremonies at the Usher Hall.
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